Department: Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Rob Reich, Professor of Social Ethics of Science and Technology
Advancing democratic grantmaking
Foundations have enormous power over the social sector—not just through the causes they choose to fund, but through the relationships they build with the organizations they support. Occasionally, foundations can quietly redirect nonprofits away from their original missions toward priorities the funder prefers, a dynamic that has played out throughout American history. Jeremy's research examines how foundations exercise this influence today, and how internal equity commitments and external political pressures shape these dynamics, particularly for organizations serving historically marginalized communities. Through collaboration with philanthropic partners, his work aims to produce practical evidence and tools to build more democratic partnerships between funders and grantees.